Will 'mini-draft' be of help to Idzik, Jets?

There is no red carpet. Nor is there a green room, or multi-network gavel-to-gavel coverage.

But after 4 p.m. today, the NFL will sanction what was one of the favorite events of former Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum.

He called it the "mini-draft." What is it? Well, it’s a feeding frenzy for pro personnel departments as they get to see which rookies and young veterans, with fewer than four years of NFL service, have been waived as teams cut down to 53 players. Other teams then have 24 hours in which they can claim such players. If multiple teams claim someone, he is awarded to the team that had the worst record last season.

Tannenbaum likely christened it the "mini-draft" because much of it was based on the original draft grades the Jets had on those players. He and the organization believed that even if someone had struck out elsewhere, it was possible he still could fulfill his potential with the Jets and justify their original opinion of him.

Tannenbaum, now an agent for coaches and front-office people, invariably was awarded at least three players on waiver claims every Labor Day weekend. His successor, John Idzik, kept that tradition alive by obtaining three players via waiver claims the day before Labor Day 2013.

This also means that fringe players who survive the Jets’ cutdowns today shouldn’t get too comfortable until Sunday, because it’s very possible they could be let go to make room for a waiver claim.

And don’t be surprised if the cornerback-needy Jets are diligently scanning the castoffs at that position today.

But fans shouldn’t get too excited. Most of the players acquired in this fashion tend to be stopgaps at best. Consider that of the numerous players the Jets have gotten this way on past Labor Day weekends, only three were on the roster as of Friday.

They are wide receiver Clyde Gates, tackle Ben Ijalana and running back Alex Green. They have another thing in common — none is a lock to make the 2014 squad.

Neither is fourth-year cornerback Johnny Patrick, who already has been waived by San Diego and New Orleans and has not been able to climb from the back of the depth chart despite the Jets’ obvious needs at the position. Patrick, however, was claimed off waivers from the Chargers in March, so perhaps that makes him a supplemental mini-draft selection.